THE FLY FISHER'S GUIDE. 37 



TYING OR DRESSING FLIES. 



Necessity of adjusting the materials and testing their qualities pre- 

 vious to commencing Stripping the hackles Examination of 

 the gut Preparation of the dubbing Waxing the silk Strip- 

 ping feathers from the wing Instructions for tying the fly. 



Having enumerated and described the ma- 

 terials separately, the next object will be to 

 treat of them collectively, as applicable to the 

 purposes of the angler, to whom nothing is of 

 more importance than correctness in the size 

 and colours, and neatness in the formation of 

 the artificial fly, which will therefore first claim 

 attention. 



Whether a common hackle or a dubbed winged 

 fly is to be manufactured, it is invariably necessary 

 to have the whole of the materials which are to 

 compose the imitations properly adjusted previ- 

 ous to the commencement of the operation. 



First. The hackles stripped, or divested of 

 the soft downy feathers which grow nearest the 



